LiveU streaming success gave major rise in subscriptions

One day of live streaming a children’s football cup proved so popular for daily newspaper Bergensavisen (BA) that new subscribers flocked to sign up for more.

Norwegian newspaper audiences have become used to expect from major publications to have the ability to livestream important events.

Now smaller local and regional newspapers with fewer resources are joining in, making use of portable and affordable solutions like LiveU.

Early adopters with streaming challenges

Bergensavisen (BA), owned by Amedia, is the second largest newspaper covering Norway’s second city, Bergen, and a fierce competitor to the larger Schibsted-owned Bergens Tidende.

“BA has always been at the forefront online, and we were one of the first newspapers in Norway to launch an internet paper in 1996,” says Rune Eriksen, BA’s news editor.

When he joined the paper three years ago from national broadcaster NRK, BA’s streaming abilities left much to be desired, however.

“It could be touch and go whether we’d manage to get on air at all. Our main job is to run a newspaper, and we are not a tech company. We had to look for good solutions and good partners,” explains Eriksen.

“So we got in touch with Mediability in order to see what we could do to improve our live streaming service for our subscribers.”

Success with football kids

As a result, the newspaper decided to invest in a LiveU setup, allowing them to stream live action and commentary in high quality at an affordable price.

“The first major event with LiveU in use was Voss Cup, the largest football tournament for children aged 6 to 12 in Norway,” says Eriksen.

It proved such a success that new subscribers flocked to sign up for BA’s digital services, proving their investment in the platform was spot on.

A powerful tool

“Being able to live stream from an event like Voss Cup with the support from a company like Mediability is a powerful tool which enables us to do our job,” says Eriksen.

Norway’s largest national and regional newspapers all have comprehensive live streaming abilities, and some compete with broadcasting companies for coverage of major events.

Being considerably smaller, BA cannot keep up with the resources some of these publications throw at their live online presence.

“That’s why tailored and efficient solutions like the LiveU setup chosen by BA are so important, as this allows them to deliver a professional, reliable and high quality product without breaking the bank,” says Stian Nilssen, sales advisor with Mediability.

Since the success with the 2017 Voss Cup, BA has expanded their live streaming offer to include a vast range of sports, both for youngsters and adults.

“We broadcast live from the elite football series for women and from the third division for men. Then there’s our live pre- and post-match interviews and analysis around every home match for Bergen’s male elite football team Brann,” explains Eriksen.

Back for more this summer

BA will set out to repeat their success with Voss Cup in June this year.

“In 2017 we only provided six hours of live coverage from one day, but this year we will go the whole hog and live stream matches from all of the three days the tournament lasts,” says Eriksen.

Just weeks later, BA will also provide live coverage from Bergen Cup, an international handball tournament for girls and boys aged 11 to 18.

Contact one of our professional equipment sales today for a discussion of how the LiveU product offering may fit your needs. See contact info for the Mediability team here